Permanent wick structure



PERMANENT WICK STRUCTURE Filed Sept. 8, 1961-- Inventor KEITH IRVING United States Patent 3,162,030 PERMANENT WICK STRUCTURE Keith Irving, 19 Melville Ave, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Filed Sept. 8, 1961, Ser. No. 137,484 Claims priority, application Canada Sept. 9, 1960 4 Claims. (Cl. 67-70) The invention relates to a permanent wick structure for providing a predetermined flame-contour from a liquid hydrocarbon fuel and is of particular interest in the provision of a flame havingimproved illumination characteristics.

Typical liquid fuel burners and illumination devices employing wicks are frequently subject to a greater or lesser extent to various defects, for example, irregularities in the flame produced or generated thereby and also from deterioration of the wick, and usually require frequent attention and maintenance to overcome these difiiculties.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a wick structurefor liquid fuel burners which is of a permanent nature and which will provide a regularly shaped flame on all occassions with a minimum of maintenance.

More specifically it is an object of the invention to provide a permanent wick structure having the foregoing advantages and providing improved illumination.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a wick structure having the foregoing advantage in which the level of the flame may'be adjusted.

The invention seeks to provide the foregoing and other objectives which will appear from the following description of a preferred embodiment by the provision of a permanent wick structure comprising a reservoir, a rigid foraminous wick body having shaped flame-generating surfaces at one end and fuel-intake surfaces at the other end, an outer case for said wick body, and a liquid fuel conductor connected to said fuel intake surfaces and extending therefrom into said reservoir.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the following drawings in which like reference devices refer to like parts thereof throughout the various views and diagrams and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a general view of an illuminating device in the form of a storm lantern of conventional design incorporating a wick structure according to the invention, and being partially cut-away to reveal the details thereof;

FIGURE 2 is an isometric view of the wick structure enlarged and shown in isolation;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view of the wick structure of FiGURE 2 along the line 33 thereof; and

FIGURE 4 is an isometric view of a wick structure showing a further embodiment.-

From FIGURE 1 it will be seen that this preferred embodiment of the invention is incorporated in a storm lantern having a glass flame-guard 11, flame guard extension 12, chimney 13, air vents 14, air passages 15, and air jacket 16, all of which are standardfeatures of this type of device, and it will be understood that there may be other standard features incorporated therewith to which specific reference is omitted for the sake of clarity.

Lantern 10 also incorporates a reservoir 17 for containing liquid hydrocarbon fuel "18 therein and having a filler cap 19. Extending upwardly from reservoir 17 is the wick support 2! communicating with air passages mounted on shaft 23 extending through support 20 to the I be seen that the wick structure 21 of the inventionis comprised of a rigid foraminous wick body 25 of thin, flat elongated shape for drawing liquid fuel upwardly through support 20. Body 25 is preferably formed of oxygen resistant material such assilica containing materials in the form of rice hull ash, mineral silicates and glass and mineral oxides, such material being comprised of uniform particles thereof sintered together into the appropriate shape and dimension.

Wick body 25 is enclosed along a substantial part of its length by an impermeable, metallic casing 26 within which body 25 is cemented in position. Casing 26 is provided with racking 26a for engagement by and with pinion 22 for adjustment of wick structure 21 as aforesaid.

The upper end of wick body 25 extending from casing 2d defines the flame-generating surfaces 27 thereof having a generally convex terminal profile for production of a generally corresponding contour in the flame. A coating 28 extends over substantially the whole of flamegeuerating surfaces 27 and is formed of a substance composed substantially of thorium which is responsive to the heat generated around the flame-generating surfaces 27 to become incandescent and convert such heat energy into light.

The lower end of wick body 25 extending below casing 26 defines the fuel intake surfaces 29 having a substan tial surface area the majority of which is composed of flat plane surfaces for purposes which will become apparent.

Connected to fuel intake surfaces 29 is the fuel conductor 3d composed essentially of a coarse-woven tape of fibrous material the upper ends 31 of which overlie fuel intake surfaces 29 in close collateral relationship and having their extremities 31a gripped between casing 26 and wick body 25 thus retaining them in position.

The lower end 32 of conductor extends downwardly into the liquid fuel 18 in reservoir 17 and may be extended around the interior thereof in order to permit vertical adjustment of wick structure 21 as aforesaid.

An alternative embodiment of the wick structure 21 is shown in FIGURE 4 and will be seen to consist of the addition of a heat-responsive light-generating device 33 consisting of an extension of wick body 25 beyond the flame generating surfaces 27 and including a substance composed substantially of thorium and responsive to the heat generated as aforesaid to convert the same into light energy. j

In operation fuel 13 is drawn up fuel conductor '50, the fibrous material thereof continuously absorbing the same and providing a path for fuel 18 to the fuel intake surfaces 29 of Wick body 25. Fuel 18 so conducted will readily permeate upwardly throughout the full extent of wick 'body 25 until it reaches fiame-generating surface 27-at'the upper end thereof. At this point fuel 18 may be ignited and a flame will spread over the whole of flame-generating surfaces 27 and extend upwardly therefrom in generally corresponding contour, fuel 18 permeating upwardly along the path described continuously until reservoir 17 becomes exhausted. When this occurs flame-generating surfaces 27 will dry out and the flame will die away, wick body 25 being oxygen resistant and hence incapable of supporting combustion in the absence of fuel 18. a

Very shortly after ignition of fuel 18 the thorium containing coating 23 on flame-generating surfaces will become incandescentin response to the heat generated ment of the invention and is here made by way of example only and the invention is not to be taken as limited" to the specific features shown but includes all variationscoming within the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

What I'clairn is:

1 A' permanent Wick structure adapted to provide a predetermined flame-contour upon generating a flame from a liquid hydrocarbon fuel, thereby to develop a flame of improved illumination characteristics, said structure comprising in combination: a liquid fuel reservoir; a rigid foraminouswick body having shaped flame-gencrating, surfaces determining a'generally corresponding flame-contour in a flame generated therefrom, said body being formed of a plurality of uniformly sized sintered particles of oxygen resistant substantially non-inflammable material selected from the group consisting of silica containing materials in the form of rice hull ash, mineral silicates, glass, and mineral oxides; 'a substantially impermeable rigid outer case for said Wick body extending over a major portion of'the surface between the ends thereof and defining free surfaces of said body at both ends, the one end surfaces defining said fiame= generating surfaces of predetermined permanent contour, the other end surfaces defining fuel intake surfaces; a porous liquid fuel conductor formed of an absorbent material, one end of said conductor being connected about said fuel intake surfaces of said wick body, the other end of said conductor extending into said reservoir for communication of fuel therefrom to said fuel intake surfaces.

2. The wick structure as claimed in claim 1, including a support for said wick case extending from said reservoir and rigidly connected thereto; and means on said support communicating with said wick case for effecting adjustment of said flame-generating surfaces of said wick relative to said support.

3. The wick structure as claimed in claim 1, including a heat-responsive light-generating device forming part of said wick body and defined substantially by an extension of said body beyond said flame-generating surfaces; and a substance composed substantially of thorium forming part of said wick body extension and responsive to heat generated around said flame-generating surfaces to convert said heat into light energy.

4. The wick structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said'wick body is formed with a thin liat elongated shape having at least one plane surfaceof substantial area, and wherein said fuel conductor comprises at least one length of'coarse-woven tape of fibrous material; one endof said length overlying said plane surface of said wick body in close, collateral relation for communication of said liquid fuel thereto; and a portion of said end extending between said wick body and said outer case and being gripped and retained in position thereby.

'References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 31,511 Cahoon Feb. 19, 1861 346,569 Wilcox Aug. 3, 1886' 448,002 Baldwin Mar. 10, 1891 876,523 Burrows Jan. 14, 1908 951,122 Horn Mar. 8, 1910 1,237,780 Hicks Aug. 21, 1917 1,683,375 Weiderhold Sept. 4, 1928 2,493,961 Goodloe Jan. 10, 1950 2,712,352 Manor et a1. July 5, 1955 2,762,168 McCutchen Sept. 11, 1956 2,879,837 Downs Mar. 31, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 16,338 Great Britain 1886 

1. A PERMANENT WICK STRUCTURE ADAPTED TO PROVIDE PREDETERMINED FLAME-CONTOUR UPON GENERATING A FLAME FROM A LIQUID HYDROCARBON FUEL, THEREBY TO DEVELOP A FLAME OF IMPROVED ILLUMINATION CHARACTERISTICS, SAID STRUCTURE COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: A LIQUID FUEL RESERVOIR; A RIGID FORAMINOUS WICK BODY HAVING SHAPED FLAME-GENERATING SURFACES DETERMINING A GENERALLY CORRESPONDING FLAME-CONTOUR IN A FLAME GENERATED THEREFROM, SAID BODY BEING FORMED OF A PLURALITY OF UNIFORMLY SIZED SINTERED PARTICLES OF OXYGEN RESISTANT SUBSTANTIALLY NON-INFLAMMABLE MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SILICA CONTAINING MATERIALS IN THE FORM OF RICE HULL ASH, MINERAL SILICATES, GLASS AND MINERAL OXIDES; A SUBSTANTIALLY IMPERMEABLE RIGID OUTER CASE FOR SAID WICK BODY EXTENDING OVER A MAJOR PORTION OF THE SURFACE BETWEEN THE ENDS THEREOF AND DEFINING FREE SURFACES OF SAID BODY AT BOTH ENDS, THE ONE END SURFACES DEFINING SAID FLAMEGENERATING SURFACES OF PREDETERMINED PERMANENT CONTOUR, THE OTHER END SURFACES DEFINING FUEL INTAKE SURFACES; A POROUS LIQUID FUEL CONDUCTOR FORMED OF AN ABSORBENT MATERIAL, ONE END OF SAID CONDUCTOR BEING CONNECTED ABOUT SAID FUEL INTAKE SURFACES OF SAID WICK BODY, THE OTHER END OF SAID CONDUCTOR EXTENDING INTO SAID RESERVOIR FOR COMMUNICATION OF FUEL THEREFROM TO SAID FUEL INTAKE SURFACES. 